An early snow has blanketed the summits of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanic peaks with several inches of the white stuff that could last until Thursday as the lower elevations of The Big Island see up to six inches of rainfall in some areas.
The winter storm has caused the closure of roads leading to the summits of the two peaks, which are both more than 13,000 feet above sea level.
Snow on Hawaii’s peaks is not rare; last season more than two feet of snow fell in the first two weeks of December there.
According to HuffPost, Hawaii had more snow in one week last March than Denver or Chicago had had for all of January and February that year. It even snowed on Mauna Kea in August.
Mauna Key Weather Forecast Center meteorologist Ryan Lyman told CBS News last December that recent winters have brought 30 to 36 inches of snow to the volcanic peaks of Hawaii.
The storm may last until Thursday, The Weather Channel reported, but warmer air could mix in and end the snow on the peaks before then.
The reports of snow in what is perceived as a tropical location come at a time when U.S. snowfall is at a record low, making them seem all the more unusual.
One Twitter user pointed out that Hawaii had more snow in November than Minneapolis, but others reminded him it is still early in the season.
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